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Those who wish to save the old Evans teacher’s cottage have only about a month to come up with a plan.

The property is under contract to sell – the owners will not say to whom – and the buyer wants the site cleared by Feb. 28.

It is about the last structural remnant of the old Evans community. Built about 1930, it served as a dormitory for the women who taught at the original Evans school across Washington Road. Most recently, it was known as the site of the Strictly Country gift shop, which was operated by Rachel Robertson for 25 years.

ATLANTA — Two issues keep popping up in conversations under the Gold Dome in the week-old legislative session: guns and marijuana.

Many of the issues lawmakers grapple with are either very complex or painfully dull – or both – and don’t spark much passion, especially among the general public. There are never any rallies or street marches about post-adoption contracts, the definition of “game fish,” and sewer fees charged to customers outside a provider’s geographical boundaries.

State school Superintendent John Barge is on a political suicide mission.

He decided last year not to try for another term as the elected head of Georgia’s Department of Education, choosing instead to run for governor in the Republican primary against incumbent Gov. Nathan Deal and Dalton Mayor David Pennington.

As I approached the grocery store, his appraisal was obvious. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him grin. At me. The vestiges of a once healthy smile poked from his grey-ish gums in random, sparse arrangements. Ragged coveralls hung on his wiry, tobacco-stained frame. Greasy hair sprang from beneath his backwards ball-cap.

After 21 years of marriage, a girl starts to think, This isn’t so bad. Still, I pretended not to see him. I was in no condition to receive these amorous favors.

In Steve Crawford’s article, “GOP beliefs seem to be evolving,” January 15, 2014, he makes an assumption, which is not correct. He states, “I know many reject the idea that humans and other creatures have evolved and changed over time, based on their religious beliefs.”

ATLANTA — The 2014 session of the General Assembly, which kicked off Monday, will be less about immediate results and more about future politics, according to some political observers.

Timing is the reason.

A governor in the fourth year of his first term, like Gov. Nathan Deal is now, may want to save his political capital for re-election efforts rather than legislation. If his lease on the office is renewed – and only one Georgia governor has lost re-election – he will have a mandate of sorts for more ambitious proposals next year.